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Fortune Fuel-Driven by Nutrition, on 11 South Road Unit 9 in Somers, CT is a nutrition club that provides healthier alternatives, offering meal replacement shakes with high protein, vitamins, and minerals. Popular flavors include chocolate chip peanut butter banana, birthday cake, and strawberry cheesecake.
Energy/hydrating teas (customer favorites are the Liberty, the Spartan, and the Pey Pey Tea), protein coffees (that can be served hot, iced or as a coffee float packed with 40g of protein with under 2g of sugar), protein waffles and protein snacks. They also offer free wellness profiles, meal prep recipes, and workout routines, as well as hosting free tastings every third Thursday of the month from 5:45 p.m.- 7 p.m., where people can come in and preview the upcoming menu for what’s anticipated the following month to see new flavors the club is going to have.
Owner Kristina Forgue LaFortune said, “These are great to help answer any questions anyone has, and to help share what we do here at Fortune Fuel.”
LaFortune said through Fortune Fuel, she wanted to share her story for those feeling alone and a lack of options in their health journey. To be a safe space for them to come in, sit and share their story and goals and help build a wellness journey together.
Growing up, LaFortune was always athletic. Then working full-time triggered her weight gain. When COVID hit, LaFortune was a mom at home working a full-time job with her dogs and her newborn daughter, Peyton. Her weight had spiraled out of control, and she was up to 396 pounds.
“I wanted to turn my health around,” said LaFortune. “I wanted longevity. I wasn’t a diabetic or pre-diabetic. I was just very large, and nothing worked. I couldn’t do things with my little girl anymore. She’s the reason why I started this journey.” She went on to say, “Peyton is very active, and the size I was, I couldn’t do all the things she enjoyed most like Go Kart rides or Bumper Boats at Sonny’s Place here in town. I couldn’t run around the yard, or a simple thing of going down a slide or swings. The little things that we take for granted were just so far that I needed to do something.”
Through fitness, moving, meal prepping and getting rid of sugary drinks, LaFortune lost 137 pounds over the past year. She has brought a lot of friends and family members along to do what she is doing. Her oldest daughter Jayden, who is the operations manager at Fortune Fuel, lost 36 pounds as a freshman in college. “It feels really good,” said Jayden. “I didn’t let the stigma of the Freshman 15 take over my life and I’m so grateful that I have such a great support system around me.”
It is a family affair at Fortune Fuel with a dedicated staff that consists of manager Kaitlyn Christmas and assistant manager Lyndsie Brown who are Jayden’s friends and who LaFortune considers her additional daughters, along with fuel attendants (Fortune Fuel’s version of baristas), Aubrey Noke, Viola McDermott, Aubree Usher, and Charlee Cyr.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Christmas. “It doesn’t feel like work when we’re here. It feels like a big hangout. We love the community. We love all the people that we help that come in especially when we do the tea drops for our communities. All of our regulars that come in make us feel like a family by letting us know how they’re doing in their lives.”
Brown added, “Some customers will come in and share their weight journey stories with us, so giving them the motivation and a healthy alternative is fulfilling. When we hear their progress, we get emotional because we’re a part of their journey and we feel connected to them.”
LaFortune points out that just drinking their shakes and teas is not going to be a miracle potion, but they can be used as a tool, an alternative or a new aid in their own fitness/health journey. “We help build accountability together through 21-day challenges, meal prepping, and group outings,” she said. “Keep moving and cheering each other on. Celebrating the wins and working through any struggles.”
Driving LaFortune in this effort is the straightforward idea that if she could help even five people realize that they’re not alone and that they’ll be able to do it if she is able to do it, it motivates them to do something different or try to change their lifestyle. She added to Go Local that is what makes the whole journey worth it. “The amount of people who have connected with me, and shared, that me sharing my journey has helped them is so heartwarming,” LaFortune replied. “To know that even in my dark times, my sharing helped them realize they too were not alone. And pushed them to get through their own hump.”
The idea to open the club began in March of 2025. There was another local club that was hosting a March Madness challenge and the grand prize for the winner was to put your tea on their menu. LaFortune’s daughter Peyton had submitted a tea for the challenge called the Pey Pey Tea (inspired and created alongside Kaitlyn Christmas). As the bracket went on, the Pey Pey Tea advanced week after week.
Online votes poured in, and LaFortune picked up and delivered her drink to people all over town to help get more votes. She made it all the way to the finals against Mama Tea. She joked with the owner, and said if Pey Pey Tea does not win, she is just going to have to open her own club to put it on the menu. Sure enough, Mama Tea took the win. Five months later, Fortune Fuel- Driven by Nutrition was born.
LaFortune and her family live in Enfield around the Somers line. They saw Somers as a tight community bringing everybody together. They wanted to do something with a local presence and Somers is what they had found to do that in.
Since Fortune Fuel opened in August of 2025, they have donated over a thousand teas within the community to bus drivers, teachers, schools, businesses, and organizations. They do walks, pair up with dance studios and participate in festivals & fairs like the Four Towns Fair. “The word has been getting out,” LaFortune said, “We’re trying to reach people through social media and word of mouth. Week after week, we get a little busier, word of mouth is spreading, and people are really liking what they get from us. We want to grow and fill the bar every day. Make it be the go-to place, and community connection.”
Right now, Fortune Fuel is working with the local Girl Scout troops, PTO’s, schools, and multiple sports teams. They are sponsoring a girls’ softball team in town and two local race car drivers at Stafford Speedway.
On April 4, Fortune Fuel will be hosting an Easter event for the kids. Breakfast and Tea with the Easter Bunny from 8 a.m.- 10 a.m. Enjoy protein waffles/pancakes paired with a kid refresher or tea for adults, fun crafts games, kids’ games, and photos. Local business Luxe Permanent Jewelry will be coming for a Sip and Bling event to the club on Sunday, April 12 from 1-3 p.m. And the PTO Fundraiser for Enfield Street will be held at Fortune Fuel on April 18. They will have a raffle table setup that LaFortune will provide some raffles for, and a portion of the day’s sales will go to the PTO. Plus, the PTO will get to design and create a shake & tea and name it for the event.
The club is booking now out to May with their new “On to Go” Outreach. Offering to come to you and your event or fundraiser. Offering ten percent back to the organization at the held event. A great give back while bringing fun and energy to the organization, business, or event itself.
Lafortune’s goal is to do fitness camps where she can partner with different small local businesses in town or the Parks & Recreation Department and get more people together to do more outdoor activities. Whether it be hikes, walks, or an hour every day of cardio. “Everything we do is community-driven,” said LaFortune. “We want to keep hitting and reaching more people. Anything around the community is what we want to do. We’re a family company that wants to help out, be present and do different things around town.”
Fortune Fuel-Driven by Nutrition is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m.- 4 p.m., Saturdays from 8 a.m.- 3 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. They post every single day on their Facebook page and everything from there is shared to their Instagram.
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